I headed over to Canary Wharf again today. I think I’ve said here before how that area of London fascinates me, and how I find it thrilling to think that, just forty years ago all that was there were some decaying docks. I always feel a buzz.of excitement whenever I head out to explore more of this constantly changing metropolis. The problem is, recent events may have put that under threat. I have recently been told that, if I have another mishap like the one last week, questions may start to be raised about my capacity to live independently.

Of course, when I first heard that I was appalled: the last thing I would ever do is relinquish my life here in Eltham. I love having my own flat, my own routines and my own life. The thing is, I can sort of see where they are coming from: the powers that be obviously simply perceive me as a guy with a fairly severe disability who might have called for help once or twice too often. To them, the enormous value I put on my status within the wider community is neither here nor there, and it may be easier to shove me away where I can be cared for.

To be fair, it was probably only effectively a warning that I need to look after myself a bit more and drink more water; and the fact remains I feel very grateful for the help I received last Wednesday. On the other hand, the question that this revalation raises for me is, could anyone else be threatened in such a way? Would a county or borough council go to anyone else after they go through any kind of medical emergency, and suggest they might not be able to live on their own any more; or does the mere fact that I have CP change things, so that my agency can be threatened far more readily? Are councils still far more eager to step in and intervene in cases like mine? If that is the case, then it would seem that the progress disabled people thought we made towards equality may be far more fragile than we took it to be.